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Craig Fulton accepts the heat but vows to set things right
Craig Fulton has been in the firing line, and understandably so. India performed well below par at the World Cup and Fulton, as the captain of the ship, has had to face the ire. What is encouraging is that the coach knows it and is not considering giving up. With today being August 29 – the birthday of the legendary Dhyan Chand now celebrated as National Sports Day – the scrutiny on the hockey team will be especially acute. sportnewz.click
Facing the hard questions after an underwhelming campaign is never easy, but Fulton was up for it and did not duck a single probing question I asked. While you can watch the full interview later today on Revsportz, suffice it to say that what stood out for me was his determination to set things right.
“With me, the thing is I hate to lose far more than I am happy when we are winning,” said Fulton. “A loss is not something that’s acceptable. So, yes, as a team we will set things right.”
While repeatedly saying that the talent pool has now grown and he has twice as many players to choose from, not once did the coach offer an excuse for the World Cup performance. He did say that the top eight teams can all beat each other on a given day and pointed out that the Pro League champions are playing for seventh or eighth place at the World Cup. But he made no qualms about the fact that things need to change, and India have three weeks to do so ahead of the Asian Games.
“If the Asian Games was that easy, India should have won five out of five times in the last 20 years,” he said. “India has only won twice. It is a tricky competition and while we are the best in Asia, the truth also is we can’t take anything for granted. There are some good teams and we need to move on from the World Cup disappointment and get things right in Japan.
“Most importantly, the Asian Games gold will get us the LA28 ticket and that’s the key. We can then focus on our preparation for the next 18 months. Each player wants to change the colour of the medal in LA and the World Cup will not define them. While the defeat is still raw, we have spoken amongst ourselves and have taken note of where we went wrong.”
Does all the negativity impact him? And does it make things difficult when former players like Sreejesh, whom he coached in Paris, write the things that he has written?
Yet again, Fulton did not duck the questions.
“There is an inner and an outer ring,” he said. “I am part of the inner ring and there we have complete trust and faith in each other. The noise that you are talking about is on the outside and in an age of social media, it is bound to happen.
“As the Head Coach, I know the buck stops with me. If I take the good, I have to take the bad. The performance hasn’t been great and it is now on us to ensure things change from here on.”
The road to redemption has to start now, and Fulton knows it well enough.
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The post Craig Fulton accepts the heat but vows to set things right appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
Kotak Mahindra Bank partners with RevSportz to bring India’s Hausla stories from the Asian Games to life
The one thing that you will always need when you are competing in a multi-discipline games is Hausla. You need to believe in yourself to be able to excel and make the podium. In fact, without Hausla, there is no podium. That’s what we want to see in the 492 Indian athletes that are all set to travel to Nagoya for the Asian Games.
From a media standpoint, our aim at the Asian Games will be to document these stories of Hausla. The idea is to make a telling contribution to the ecosystem and create legacy. We will produce original reporting that highlights often overlooked stories of resilience and achievement to a wider audience. Stories that often go beyond marketing metrics. Rather, when a Tejaswin Shankar, fighting with an injury and unable to walk properly braves the pain and goes on to win a medal, India turns a new leaf. These are the stories of Hausla that we want to tell from Japan. Celebrate these heroes, men and women who make a difference.
This is why it gives us great satisfaction at Revsportz to announce a partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank for the Asian Games in documenting these stories for our viewers. Corporate support is key to meaningful sports storytelling. India needs corporates to support Olympic sports. With India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and harbouring ambitions to secure the 2036 Olympic Games, it is essential that Olympic sport receives far more media coverage. And to be able to do so from on ground needs support. That’s where this partnership will make a difference.
Sharmistha Gooptu, COO of Revsportz, stated, “Our focus has also been on documenting strong stories of women’s empowerment in multi discipline games. This partnership with Kotak will help us in that quest and we look forward to working together in trying to make a difference to the eco-system.”
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The post Kotak Mahindra Bank partners with RevSportz to bring India’s Hausla stories from the Asian Games to life appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
Asian Games 2026: Big blow for India as long distance runner Abhishek Pal faces doping notice after Clomiphene found in blood sample
Asian Games-bound long-distance runner Abhishek Pal has been issued an Adverse Analytical Finding by the National Anti-Doping Agency after his sample showed the presence of clomiphene, a drug commonly used to treat female infertility. The development has put his participation in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan in doubt.
Pal has been selected to represent India in the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which begin on September 19. He is currently training in Colorado Springs in the United States.
According to sources quoted by The Tribune, the concentration of clomiphene found in Pal’s sample was below 2 nanograms per millilitre, which is the minimum reporting level set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Pal has already submitted his response to NADA and is expected to contest the notice.
“Yes, he has been issued a notice. He will fight the case as he feels he has been hard done by this NADA notice,” a source close to the athlete told The Tribune.
The circumstances surrounding the finding have also raised questions because Pal is part of NADA’s Registered Testing Pool and is regularly tested. It is not clear whether NADA carried out an investigation into the finding before issuing the notice.
Under anti-doping rules, when a substance is detected below its minimum reporting level, the anti-doping authority is required to investigate the circumstances and establish whether the presence was linked to deliberate doping or was unintentional.
Clomiphene is a prohibited substance in sport and can also be used as a masking agent to conceal the use of anabolic steroids. Pal’s case will therefore be closely watched as he attempts to establish why the drug was detected in his sample.
If he is unable to clear his name, Pal could miss the Asian Games and face a minimum suspension of two years. Clomiphene is classified as a specified substance under the WADA Code, with sanctions depending on the circumstances of the case.
Pal is the second Indian athlete training under American coach Scott Simmons to face a doping case. Murali Gavit, who also trained under Simmons, is currently serving a four-year ban after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that can improve endurance.
The latest case comes at a difficult time for Indian athletics, with the sport already facing increased scrutiny over doping. The Athletics Integrity Unit recently moved the Athletics Federation of India into its highest-risk category after a rise in anti-doping violations.